New Instrumentation Expands Testing Capabilities in Brookings, South Dakota

SGS has expanded its analytical and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) capabilities for mycotoxins, pesticides and antibiotics testing at its Brookings South Dakota laboratory.

The installation of a second Sciex 6500+ Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer will increase the rigor and efficiency of our GLP services, as well as complement the laboratory's existing 6500+, installed in 2016.

Unparalleled Capabilities

The 6500+ provides unparalleled capabilities in detection, speed, and performance. Its heightened sensitivity pushes the boundaries of diagnostic analyses by determining previously unreachable detection limits and will serve in accurately analyzing compounds such as pesticides, mycotoxins, and antibiotics.

"Our GLP clients continue to develop novel active ingredients for regulatory submission on state-of-the-art instruments, such as the 6500+ MS/MS from Sciex," said Chris Skaggs, GLP Manager. "With this in mind, we're committed to investing into these same pieces of equipment. Not only does this high-quality instrument allow us to detect pesticides at a level not previously achieved, it ensures our capabilities match those of our sponsors who are developing these new actives."

In addition, our GLP laboratory has recently acquired a Stephan UM 44 Mill for homogenizing samples in soil dissipation studies. Coming from a versatile line of high-performance industrial equipment, the UM 44 will optimize the laboratory's capabilities to homogenize samples by increasing volume size to more than 10 kg per sample, in addition to boosting the number of samples processed daily.

The UM 44's augmented level of efficiency, coupled with a significant increase in sample size, will strengthen the rigor of analysis conducted by SGS through improved accuracy in sample field representation. Our Brookings GLP laboratory has conducted soil dissipation studies for five years, and the recent addition of the UM 44 now enables the US group to offer analysis at a scale comparable to our soil dissipation studies in Europe.

This additional instrumentation will allow our technical experts to better serve our clients' growing needs for GLP residue and soil dissipation studies. This investment in superior instrumentation will ensure that our customers receive advanced technology and best in class service for their testing and project needs while increasing accuracy of analysis and improving speed-to-market results.

"Our clients have asked that we match their investment, and we've listened," Skaggs explained. "We will continue to invest in instrumentation that allows us to offer robust, reliable and accurate results for our clients."